Shadows of Hope
Chapter 16: 16. The Sun Has Gone Dim
Previous Chapter Next ChapterChapter 16: The Sun has Gone Dim
Hundreds of people were walking down the streets, going about their business, feeling the golden rays of the sun shine down on their beautiful town. They had welcomed another morning, some embracing while some, on their way to their daily jobs, were not as accepting of it.
A woman was walking with her little girl in a recently built park, enjoying the scenery. She pointed out the tall towers in the near distance, the sound of traffic that was commonly heard every day filling their ears. The little girl picked up a dandelion, smiling at it's elegant beauty. It's bright reflection in the sun was soon overshadowed, and the girl looked up to something she had seen before, but not in so many numbers.
Aircraft.
She had seen them before, but never in this many numbers at once. She pointed them out to her mother, who looked up. A shocked look came over her face to see many figures jumping out of the planes, parachutes popping open shortly after. People in the streets had gathered to see this as well, many confused, some running in fear.
The woman picked up her child and started to run, scared for both of their lives. Just as she had reached the entrance gate, she felt a small bit of relief. That relief was cut out shortly when from the sky one of the invaders had landed, stopping her. She saw the flag patch sewn on his shoulder sleeve, the three lines of white, blue, and red acknowledging his Russian heritage.
It was the last thing she was able to see before she heard the ignition of the man's rifle.
THIS IS THE EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM. CITY WIDE EVACUATION OF LOS ANGELES IS STILL IN INITIATION, ALL CITIZENS ARE INSTRUCTED TO IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE UNIVERSITY OF LOS ANGELES FOR MAJOR EVACUATION. CITIZENS ARE ADVISED TO PACK LIGHTLY, WITH NEEDED ESSENTIALS ONLY. CONTACT MILITARY PERSONNEL IN UCLA AREA FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.
It was the message that the world had heard. The Russians had started the second invasion of the U.S., trying to succeed despite their first attempts. Everyone watching figured that Russia could possibly prevail with the U.S. in near economical ruins from the last battles on U.S. soil, but they knew Russia had financial struggles of their own. This was possibly a battle of wealth than territory.
"Will someone turn that damn thing off?" Price muttered, Jester turning off the video feed that they were watching. They were En route to Los Angeles, the large numbers that they had seen, they figured it best for special ops forces to be in it.
Price and Soap knew Shadow Company would be called out of the eastern world to help keep U.S. soil, so when the British parliament was asked for assistance by the U.S. government, the Limeys were quick to help their allies.
"Pretty fast set up for just 2 years time." Ghost said out, checking his weapons.
"Obviously they had some powerful friends." Specter muttered, checking his ACR. Scarecrow was checking his MSR, adjusting the scope on it. After doing so, he pulled out the cross necklace he had made himself. It had three old looking spikes put together in the shape of a cross, this tied together by metal wire. He gave it a quick kiss, saying a prayer after doing so.
"So what about the girls?" Jester asked, eyebrows raised.
"Well, supposedly, they're suppose to meet us in L.A. at a LZ. It's gonna be hell though." Soap explained.
"And Luna?" Specter asked.
"I'm not sure, but more than likely she's going to be thrown into this hell hole." Soap replied, the rugged expression on his face not changing.
It was the first time in years Twilight had seen Luna looked worried, and she couldn't blame her. It seemed like just minutes after they had seen the news, the agents were back, hastily taking them. They were able to say their goodbyes to Will, he said he would keep them in his thoughts and prayers.
Now here they were, back in uniform, readying weapons they had hope not to see again. They all worked together to give Luna the basic training needed, but they all knew that once that first bullet went past your head, everything else goes out the window.
"ETA 5 minutes." the pilot said over the CB. There were other men, both of Shadow Company and Task Force 141 readying up as well. From what the girls were told, L.A. was a very large city, and there were many twists and turns that could get them lost if they weren't careful.
Rarity was checking some of the medical equipment given to her when one of the 141 soldiers came over to her.
"Need some help with that?" the Scottish accented man asked. Rarity gladly accepted, and he helped her so.
"Name's Smith by the way. Marcus Smith. But the boys around here call me Shiner." the man said, introducing himself.
"Why so?" Rarity asked. Shiner took off his goggles to show his bruised left eye.
"Got into a fight me first day in 141 training. I won, and the commanders were actually quite impressed." he chuckled. He put the goggles back on, sitting by her. "Y'know, I've never been on U.S. soil before." he said.
"Are you trying to hit on me?" Rarity bluntly asked. Shiner shook his head.
"No ma'am, I figured you and the other girls might want to know are names incase you needed us out there." Shiner said. Rarity could tell he was being honest, and sighed.
"Sorry for the accusation darling," she lightly apologized.
"Don't worry about it." Shiner chuckled.
"2 minu-" the pilot was cut off by a shockwave hitting the chopper, knocking some of the men to the deck. Everyone regained their balance, all of them looking around.
"What the fuck was that?!" one Shadow Company soldier bellowed.
"It's the reds, they're trying to take us down!" a 141 solider hollered back, looking out a small window. The loud sounds of War filled everyone's ears, Luna looking at Twilight.
"Is this always common here?" Luna asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"I wish I could say otherwise." Was all that Twilight responded with. They felt the thud of the chopper landing, and the door dropped open. Everyone rushed out, getting to what cover they could find. Spetsnaz soldiers were firing on their positions, and everyone could see that the battle had not calmed down, only intensified.
A five plane squadron of Martin F22 Raptors flew through the skyline, heading straight for a group of Mig-29s engaging them. Rainbow Dash dove for cover, peeking up and aiming her M4A1, firing at Russians taking cover as well. She was only able to pull three rounds off before ducking to dodge returning fire. Some small specs of concrete fell into her hair as the bullets hit her piece of cover, and one soldier was trying to make a dash to her before being hit by spetsnaz fire, the body falling backwards.
She could barely hear all the communication of her friends, fellow soldiers, and the radio chatter over the hell that surrounded them all. She had wish Ghost was hear, she was always able to pull through with his help.
"Three o'clock, high!" Jester yelled out, firing his MK46 at a small building that spetsnaz soldiers were firing from. It had been hell as soon as they landed, a Machine gun nest opened fire as soon as they had landed, ripping some of the men with them to pieces. They had gone through an alley way, encountering resistance there as well. They had run into a trio of spetsnaz, two of them trying to help one get out of his chute strap, but Specter and Price took down the two trying to help him, Scarecrow slitting the throat of the third.
"Overlord, we are moving to the LZ of V. , try to find us the quickest route to them, over!" Specter yelled into his radio, firing his SCAR-L at a small group of Spetsnaz.
"Echo 3-1, be advised, you need to move down Bonsallo Avenue then turn off into Vermont Avenue, The VIPs should be there to regroup." was what Specter heard over his radio.
"Copy that! Guys! We've got to get to Vermont Avenue!" Specter yelled out.
"You mean where that damned Police station is? FUCK!" Jester yelled. "That shit hole was covered with Spetsnaz on our fly by!"
"Than we better get there and clear them out before the girls get there!" Ghost yelled, taking down a spetsnaz that was about to pull a round on one of his teammates. One guy sprinted ahead, but was soon cut down by a MG.
"Shit, these bastards are dug in!" Specter exclaimed. They, along with other soldiers they had regrouped with ran into a building on the side of a crosswalk, hoping they could cut through. When they were behind stable walls, they stopped for a moment, giving all the men time to regroup.
Ghost found a CB radio, and tuned it in to certain stations. The news he heard was not good.
"Sir, Word from U.S. newscasters say That the reds just got units into New York harbor and Washington." Ghost said. Collective groans came from some of the Shadow Company soldiers, signs that they had a history with those places. Words were quickly exclaimed around the room.
"How the bloody hell did they get control so fast?!" One 141 soldier exclaimed.
"They invaded just 2 years ago, we're still recovering from that! This is going to put us six feet under for sure!" a Shadow Company soldier replied.
"Great, we're fucking boned." another muttered.
"Everyone shut up! For now, let's focus on staying alive and getting Los Angeles back!" Price exclaimed. "We're an elite group of soldiers, not a bunch of bloody pussies!"
Ghost was peeking out a window, before having to duck to dodge a bullet. "They're dug in alright, it's hell out there."
"You just notice?" Jester sarcastically asked. He sat down by Ghost, catching his breath.
"Are you really tired? we've only been here 15 minutes." Specter somehow chuckled.
"You carry…this damn armor…all day." Jester was able to make out.
Scarecrow snuck to a different window, trying to get a peek with his MSR. He looked around, seeing multiple Spetsnaz units fighting U.S. Marines that were in the area, he even saw some Delta force units. What quickly caught his attention though was the two BTRs heading there way.
"Sweet Jesus…." he muttered, before running back. "Guys! Incoming BTRs!" Scarecrow managed to yell before a chunk of the wall was blown away. The men saw the two BTRs were targeting the small building, and they knew that if they stayed in it they were sitting ducks.
"Move, go! Head for Vermont Avenue!" Soap bellowed, everyone quickly getting up. Ghost help Jester up to his feet and they sprinted with the others, dodging fire as they went. One unlucky 141 soldier was hit in the leg, screaming in pain as he collapsed. A Shadow Company soldier quickly ran back to help him, helping him up, the 141 soldier limping, holding on to the Shadow Company soldier
"Never thought a Yank would save a Limey.." the 141 soldier managed to say.
"Hell, we're not Yanks and Limeys, we're people." The Shadow Company soldier responded, helping him get to the others. The group had to fight off Spetsnaz near the police station on Vermont Avenue, but when they got there they held their ground inside the station, waiting for the others to re-join them.
For the first time in almost 1000 years, Luna was scared. Worse than Fluttershy was when the mane six first came to this world. She had kept a tight hold on this "gun" of hers, and when she fired it at the people she was told to fire at, she had the most horrible feeling in her stomach.
"How can these humans live with killing each other? How can the girls even?" the thought ran through her head many times. But like she was told, it was kill or be killed out here.
They group had ran al the way to where they were suppose to meet the guys and some other soldiers, a police station on Vermont Avenue. When they finally got there, Rarity's heart jumped when she saw Price, who was motioning for them to get in the building as fast as they could. They got inside, having a bit of worry gone when they saw everyone was alright.
Applejack wrapped her arms Around Scarecrow, hugging him tighter than she ever had before.
"Well, I missed you to." Scarecrow let out a small chuckle, Applejack smiling. They let go of each other, the gang back together again.
"Well, where do we go from here?" Applejack asked.
"I'm working on that now." Ghost said, working his radio. "Overlord, this is Echo 3-1, we have regrouped on Vermont Avenue, I repeat, we have regrouped on Vermont Avenue, requesting further orders, over." he spoke into the radio.
"Copy that, new orders are to proceed to JFK memorial Library and provide cover and support for civilian evacs at the University of Los Angeles, an Armored convoy has been instructed to head your way to pick you up." was the reply Ghost got.
"Copy that, Echo 3-1 over and out!" Ghost said. He informed the others of the orders.
"Are you kidding me? The university is on the other side of the city!" Jester exclaimed.
"That's why that convoy is picking us up, there heading that way also." Ghost replied.
"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than walking." Price muttered.
"Ya got that right sugarcube." Applejack said. Luna was off by herself, sitting in a corner of the room. Shiner saw her and decided to try to calm her down, he could see the nervous look on her face.
"Hey, you alright lassie?" he asked, sitting beside her. "I'm Marcus, but you can call me Shiner." Luna greeted him with a small smile.
"I'm Luna, and I guess so.." she said.
"Hey, It's ok to be nervous. New world and all, I'd be bloody terrified if I went to your world." Shiner admitted. Luna chuckled a bit.
"Do not worry, my home world is a lot more peaceful than this place." Luna chuckled. Shiner smiled.
"Guess I will have to visit then." Shiner chuckled. "Don't worry madam, If anything, I'll make sure you're alright." he said with a reassuring smile. Luna felt calmer now, and she stood up with him.
"Thank you for the encouragement." she told him.
"Don't worry about, happy to he- GET DOWN!" Shiner pulled Luna to the ground, a Spetsnaz soldier nearly hitting her. Shiner dodged a punch from the Russian, grabbed and twisted his arm, making the Russian man yell in pain, then swept his feet, stabbing him with his tactical knife after. He got back to his feet and helped Luna up back to hers.
"Y-you saved my life…" Luna said, shocked.
"It's the least I can do, you're quite an important lassie from what I've heard." he said, Luna blushing the slightest bit. They were interrupted by the sound of M134 miniguns.
"There's our ride!" Dash exclaimed. The group got up, got their weapons together, and ran outside, happy to see the armored convoy of four humvees with M134 miniguns and three M1 Abrams tanks. A marine sergeant got out of one of the jeeps to meet the group.
"Sir, we were told to pick up Shadow Company and 141 with our Convoy, I'm gussing that's you guys!" he yelled over the sounds of war around them.
"You've got that damn right! Let's get out of this pigs sty!" Specter exclaimed, everyone loading up.
"As far as I've heard captain, we're only leaving a pigs sty to go into a bog!" the sergeant replied. The convoy started to move, gunners focusing their fire on Spetsnaz units, the group firing out of the jeep windows when they could. One of the Abrams locked onto a building ahead of them and fired, blasting a group of Spetsnaz with RPGs into oblivion.
"Yeah, how do you like us now bitches!" Jester exclaimed as he watch the spetsnaz in the area retreat.
"You're going to regret those words when we get to the university.." the marine sergeant said as they went down the highway.
The sergeant wasn't kidding when he said that they were going into a bog. The university was on fire in multiple areas, the smoke had made the sun gone dim, and the sky was going into it's evening orange color. The watch on Ghost's wrist read 6:30 PM for this time zone.
They could see multiple evacuation choppers leaving the area, all under heavy fire from surrounding spetsnaz forces trying to take over the university. They could see soldiers fighting to keep their ground, civilians rushing to the evacuation vehicles, and all hell around. They convoy pulled into the University grounds, and the men piled out, opening fire on their chosen targets, some getting hit as they all ran for cover from the heavy fire.
A.J. ducked behind a fallen statue, aiming her rifle and picking off what targets she could before having to duck again.
"These guys must've come in by the thousands!" she yelled to Soap, who had just joined her.
"Thousands? Bloody hell, seems like millions to me!" he joked, firing his machine gun in short bursts. Applejack would've responded if she could have heard him clearly.
"We have to guard these evacuation teams until They've cleared out, then we can move out on the convoy and let air support do their thing!" the marine sergeant yelled to Price.
"Right, consider it done." He replied, getting a headshot on one, quickly reloading, ready to take out another few with his rifle. He pulled the pin on a frag, tossing it towards the oncoming Russians, getting a lucky blow on a small squad.
"All choppers are almost away!" Jester yelled as ducked down by Price.
"Right, hold out just a little longer." Price calmly replied, looking over the piece of cover. His eyes widened at what he saw.
"Get those damn birds in the air! We have enemy artillery incoming!